When one of the most highly-respected music writers presents you with the biggest compliment he can, it’s a sign that you have make a pretty significant impression.

When contributors to the UK’s R2 magazine, submitted their Best of The Year lists for publication, reviewer David Innes declared that Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards had been his “most memorable gig” of the past twelve months, saying they “swung and rocked with constraint-free exuberance, tugging at and capturing the hearts of everyone.”

Following a previous tour in 2015, Songlines magazine drooled: "This was a celebration of American string playing par excellence,” while fRoots mag said they were “powerful, gutsy and almost certainly going to make musical waves." That was back in 2013 and the prediction hit the mark.

Since then, the band has taken Shetland Folk Festival by storm, creating such a buzz that they won an invite to appear as one of the headline acts at 2017’s Orkney Folk Festival.

Laura had built a distinguished career following a path that led her to be one of the most in-demand musical partners and collaborators on the circuit while continuing to make her own music. She kicked up quite a storm when she appeared solo at Celtic Connections festival.

The fiddler/vocalist and song-writer who digs deep and aims high, grew up in San Francisco and moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, immersing herself in the city's vibrant indie music scene and enjoying a busy touring-and-studio-sidekick career which included appearances with Band of Horses at Carnegie Hall and Pete Seeger at Newport Folk Festival.

But, it’s been with The Dance Cards that she has made the biggest impression in recent times. Served up with panache and zing, it’s bold and elegant fare, schooled in the lyrical rituals of folk music and backed by grooves that alternately inspire Cajun two-stepping and rock ‘n’ roll swagger.
Bandmates Valerie Thompson, Jenna Moynihan and Jeni Magana bring their own multi-genre credentials to embellish the stylish mix.